You know how you sometimes reach for a big juicy piece of chicken but accidentally pick up a piece of kale instead?

OK, it hasn't really happened to us either. But "likely" confusion between kale and chicken seems to be at the heart of a dispute between Atlanta-based fast-food chain Chick-fil-A and a Vermont man who makes T-shirts that say "Eat More Kale."

The fast-food chain--which uses the slogan "Eat More Chikin"-- reportedly has asked kale enthusiast Bo Muller-Moore to turn over his eatmorekale.com website and stop using the phrase "Eat More Kale" on his T-shirts to prevent consumer confusion over the two messages.

Muller-Moore says the chain recently sent him a letter charging that his kale message "is likely to cause confusion of the public and dilutes the distinctiveness of Chick-fil-A's intellectual property and diminishes its value."

In its two weeks up, the petition has collected more than 17,000 supporters.

In response, Chick-fil-A has released a statement saying:

"We support the entrepreneurial spirit of small business, and, in fact, our business model is founded on providing opportunity for small business owners... Unfortunately, when protecting our trademark, the law does not allow us to differentiate between a large company or a small enterprise."

"Our award-winning advertising campaign has been in place for the past 16 years, and we must legally protect and defend our 'Eat Mor Chikin®' trademarks in order to maintain rights to the slogan."

This is not the first time Muller-Moore -- a local agriculture advocate -- has run into trouble with the chain. In 2006, he says, the company sent him a cease-and-desist letter that he was able to settle through correspondence. The newest legal action comes after the silk-screener sought to trademark his kale phrase.

Chick-fil-A's attempt to block the trademark application may have generated more publicity for Muller-Moore's shirts than he could have ever hoped for. If nothing else it has spawned a large public information campaign to help clarify things for those who keep accidentally eating kale when they really wanted chicken.

Do you think the "Eat More Kale" shirts are likely to confuse Chick-fil-A customers?